Teddy

Bridgewater

Bridgewater could get the start in Week 13 against the Cardinals if Baker Mayfield is unable to play through his shoulder injury. Mayfield still has a shot to suit up, however. Bridgewater was miserable in relief of Mayfield last week against the Rams, completing eight of 15 attempts for 62 scoreless yards, with an average depth of target of 6.4, well short of Mayfield’s aDOT of 8.5. Bowles said Monday that the Bucs would have to change their offense to suit Bridgewater if he starts.

Bridgewater played the entire second half in the team’s Week 12 blowout loss to the Rams after Baker Mayfield went down with a shoulder injury that was deemed a “low-grade” shoulder sprain — one that could cost him at least one week. Bridgewater on Sunday completed eight of 15 attempts for 62 scoreless yards, with an average depth of target of 6.4, well short of Mayfield’s aDOT of 8.5. “He’s a different quarterback, so schematically, we’ll have to do some different things for him to make him feel comfortable within the offense and do a lot of things he likes to do,” Bowles said of Bridgewater. “There are some similar things, but there are also some differences that way to make him more comfortable. He’s been here long enough to where if he had to go, we can tweak it the right way for him to be successful.” Short-area Bucs pass catchers like Cade Otton and Rachaad White might benefit if Bridgewater draws the start in Week 13 against the Cardinals.

Rapoport notes that this is “good news with an eye toward next week,” suggesting Mayfield could miss at least one game with the injury. We’ll see if this changes throughout the week, but if Mayfield is unable to go against the Cardinals, Teddy Bridgewater would draw the start in his absence. Bridgewater threw for just 62 yards on 15 pass attempts in last week’s loss to the Rams, and would be an immediate downgrade for all Buccaneers pass-catchers. Mayfield’s status will be one to monitor when the first practice report drops on Wednesday.

Head coach Todd Bowles said after the game that the team believed Mayfield suffered a shoulder sprain. That remains the case, but an MRI will confirm the full extent of Mayfield’s injury. According to Schefter, a source familiar with the situation told him the team is “not ruling out” Mayfield just yet for Week 13’s game against the Cardinals, but that still depends on what the MRI reveals. If Mayfield is unable to go against the Cards, the Buccaneers would turn to Teddy Bridgewater, who threw for 62 yards on 15 attempts in relief of Mayfield in Week 12.

Bridgewater came on in relief of the injured Baker Mayfield at the half, managing just 62 yards through the air while under constant duress from the relentless pass rush of the Rams. The combination of Bridgewater and Mayfield led the team to only 193 yards of total offense, including just 103 yards through the air. The loss drops the Buccaneers to a tie with the surging Panthers atop the NFC South, which will be broken one way or the other when the Panthers play the 49ers on Monday Night Football tomorrow. Fantasy managers will want to track the status of Mayfield closely, who did not return for the second half after injuring his non-throwing shoulder on a scramble in the second quarter.

The Buccaneers will work out an injury settlement for Trask, as he’s currently dealing with a shoulder issue. A second-round pick for some reason in 2021, Trask has been the backup quarterback for the Bucs over the last four seasons, but that honor will now apparently go to Teddy Bridgewater. Trask is likely a practice squad player for a new organization in the coming days.

The signing is contingent on Bridgewater passing his physical. Bridgewater leaves high school coaching to join his seventh NFL team. He was most recently on the Lions roster but didn’t see any playing time behind Jared Goff. His most recent production came in 2022, when Bridgewater threw for 683 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions for the Dolphins. Bridgewater, 32, would presumably compete with Kyle Trask for backup duties in 2025.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport was first. Bridgewater, who is fresh off coaching Miami Northwestern High School to a Class 3A state championship in his first season with the team, is now back to help the Lions with a postseason run that they hope ends with an NFL championship. The former first-rounder spent last season with the Lions after stints with the Panthers, Broncos, and Dolphins in previous seasons but did not attempt a pass in his lone year with the team. Bridgewater will immediately join the Lions’ 53-man roster and could soon be named as the QB2 over Hendon Hooker.

Bridgewater last played in the NFL for the Lions last season, playing just three snaps in a reserve role. The 32-year-old was last a full-time starter for the Broncos in 2021, battling injuries since being drafted by the Vikings in 2014. He retired to coach his high school alma mater and came away with a state championship. Now, he tells Pelissero and Rapoport “we’ll see how [the] next week and a half, two weeks play out, might be signing with a team or something.” The likelihood Bridgewater becomes a contributor at this point of the NFL season is low, but he has the desire to return to an NFL quarterback room. With 15,120 career passing yards and 75 touchdowns, Bridgewater would bring a veteran presence to any team that signs him.

Bridgewater is planning to coach high school football. Always in-between starting and “bridge” status, Bridgewater is only 31 but has had a “football life"-type career, including devastating injury setbacks. Bridgewater has had increasing difficulty staying healthy in recent seasons. It is probably a good decision to hang ‘em up while currently healthy. Bridgewater could still have another big moment or two in store for the playoff-bound Lions. He seems like someone bound to stay around the game, perhaps in a professional coaching capacity after he gets his feet wet at the high school level.